DISCOURSE VII.

THE AGONY OF CHRIST.

And they came to a place, which was named Gethsemane; and he saith to his disciples, sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John and began to be sore amazed and to be very heavy; and saith unto them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here and watch. And he went forward a little and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me, nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.-MARK xiv. 32-36.

THE text is a very brief description of the sufferings our divine Lord and Redeemer endured in the garden of Gethsemane. This garden was not far from the place where he was crucified. It had been to him a delightful retreat, consecrated by his frequent visits and fervent prayers.

"The garden of Gethsemane," says Mr. Maundrel, a celebrated traveller of the seventeenth century, "is an "even plot of ground, not above fifty-seven yards "square, lying between the foot of mount Olivet and "the brook Cedron. It is well planted with olive trees, "and those of so old a growth, that they are believed "to be the same that stood there in our Savior's time.

"At the upper end of the garden is a flat naked ledge "of a rock, supposed to be the place, on which the "disciples Peter and James and John fell asleep

during our Lord's agony. A few paces from thence " is a grotto, in which he is said to have undergone "that bitter part of his passion, and what is very re"markable, in the midst of the garden there is a small "slip of ground, twelve yards long and one broad "reputed the very path, on which Judas walked up to "Christ, when he said, Hail, master and kissed him, "which the Turks themselves have never walked in, "as accounting the very ground, accursed on which "was acted such an infamous tragedy." To the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was wont to retire, that he might enjoy seasons of meditation and prayer undisturbed, at a suitable distance from a great busy and noisy city, and also no doubt that he might have opportunities for instructing his disciples, and thus preparing them for their future labors. The circumstances of this last visit to the garden were peculiar. The scene, which was passing before the mind of our Lord, when he fell to the ground was indescribably solemn and affecting. No finite mind can measure the vast extent of his views, or the depth of his feelings.

He had just partaken of the passover for the last time with his disciples, and instituted that ordinance, which is to commemorate his death till the end of time. He had chosen an upper room where he could be separated from the unbelieving Jews, and where he could be alone with his disciples. This was the more important as he was about to introduce a Christian ordinance, which he knew his own people, the Jews, would despise.

That upper room, where Christ partook of the passover with his disciples for the last time, and where the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered for the first time, and by him, whose death the Christian institution commemorates, must have been filled with the divine presence. With great propriety the disciples could exclaim, How dreadful is this place! It is none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven. The discourse of our Lord with his disciples must have severely tried their feelings, and occasioned great searchings of heart, especially, when he assured them that one of them would betray him. They were all alarmed, and, suspecting themselves, cried, Lord, is it I?

It was on this occasion that Christ delivered his farewell address to his disciples, which includes the xiv, xv, xvi, and xvii chapters of the gospel according to John. In the last of the four chapters we have his intercessory prayer. It must have been good to be there. Had not his divinity been concealed in a good measure, his disciples would have been overpowered. How must their hearts have melted into tenderness, when they listened to his prayer! The Holy Spirit was given to him without measure. What a heavenly solemnity must have come over the minds of his disciples! When they united in singing a hymn, they did not merely utter words, their hearts praised God. Christ himself led in this part of the worship, and every word he uttered called into exercise the noblest and most delightful feelings of their hearts. We may form some feeble conception of the solemnities of the occasion by calling to recollection what we have witnessed and experienced during some powerful revivals of religion.

Christ could not tarry all night with his disciples in that upper chamber, holy and delightful as it was. Another and a very different and distressing scene was about to pass before them. And when they had sung an hymn they went out into the mount of Olives. And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended, because of me this night: for it is written I will smite the Shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. These words, uttered so soon after they left the upper chamber, were like daggers to their hearts. It seemed impossible that they could ever be offended because of their adored Lord and Master. But Peter said unto him, and probably he expressed the feelings of all the disciples at that time, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. And Jesus saith unto him, probably not only because he was the speaker, but because he was the most confident, verily I say unto thee that this day, even this night, before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice. But he spake the more vehemently, if I should die with thee I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also, said they all. Nothing was more abhorrent to their feelings than the thought that they should deny their Lord, or be offended because of him. They did not realize how much they were dependent on perpetual supplies of divine grace for strength to overcome every temptation. Christians are as dependent on divine grace for continued holiness as for the commencement of it. Left to themselves they yield to temptations and bring reproach on the cause of Christ.

When Christ entered the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples, he said to them, Sit ye here, while I shall pray, or, as it is in Matthew, while I go and

pray yonder. And he taketh with him Peter, and James and John, the three disciples, who had been witnesses of his transfiguration, and began to be sore amazed and to be very heavy, And he saith unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here and watch. And he went forward a little and fell on the ground and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup, from me, nevertheless not what I will, but thou wilt. Never was a prayer offered to God with more fervor and more perfect submission. And surely a more acceptable prayer was never offered to God. How could it be otherwise? The Son of God never offended his Father in a single instance, not even in thought. My meat, he said, is to do the will of him. that sent me, and to finish his work. He was willing to give his life to magnify the divine law and to make it honorable, and that God might be just and the justifier of every one that believeth in Jesus. In the case of Abraham, God accepted his willingness to offer up Isaac instead of the actual sacrifice of his beloved Son. But it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name. among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Without the shedding of blood there could be no remission of sin.

As we are this day, my brethren, to commemorate the dying love of our Redeemer; his agony in the garden of Gethsemane is a proper subject of our meditations this morning. Nothing can be more offensive to him, than to see those, who have been